“I was afraid to tell anyone” – supporting survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo
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Names have been changed.
Françoise's story
Françoise, 17, fled her village when fighting approached. She lives in a camp for people uprooted by the conflict, on the outskirts of Goma, in North Kivu Province.
"With a group of other women, I started going to the forest to collect firewood for sale," she said. "About two weeks ago, we came across a group of uniformed armed men. We ran and they chased us. Two of them caught me when I fell on the ground and couldn't run any more. They raped me one by one. They didn't say anything. I could see they were also scared.
"When I could stand up and walk, I returned to the camp, hiding my torn clothes. I was afraid I would get pregnant. I was afraid to tell anyone. I felt useless, scared and alone. Finally, I decided to confide in the older women in the camp and they sent me [to the listening houses]."
- Despite being unequivocally prohibited under international and domestic law, sexual violence continues to be one of the key protection issues faced by women and girls, but also men and boys, in the DRC. This is, unfortunately, not a new phenomenon as sexual violence has been regularly reported throughout the DRC's various conflicts since 1996.
Trésor's story
Between January and March, a UN-led group of agencies recorded more than 12,600 cases of sexual violence in North Kivu. While the overwhelming majority of survivors are women and girls, men are also among the victims.
Trésor and a friend of his encountered four armed men while collecting firewood. They were told to get on the ground and remove their trousers.
The 57-year-old recalled what happened: "'I am not a woman! What are you doing?' I screamed at them. 'Get on the ground and you will see what happens,' they yelled back. I had never heard about this happening before. Men attacking men in this way. My friend didn't survive the attack."
Trésor returned to the camp and told his wife what happened.
"She tried to comfort me," he said. "She told me it was not my fault. For several days I was in terrible pain. Then I decided to come to the 'listening houses.' I spent a long time standing outside, too ashamed to enter. I thought it was only for women. I still cannot sleep, but I am glad I came. I hope I will get better one day."
- In the DRC, the intensification of hostilities and fragmentation of armed actors in the east is directly linked to the increase in sexual violence. More than half of all women in the DRC have experienced some type of physical violence; over 27% of women in the DRC have reported experiencing sexual violence linked to armed conflict.
- In addition to individual behaviours of armed actors, the conflict has generated displacement and resource scarcity at a large scale, both of which can be enabling factors for sexual violence. The sexual exploitation of women and young girls is particularly pronounced in camp settings as well as areas where mining activities are taking place.
Henriette's story
Henriette fled her village in November last year. Her husband is missing. To feed her children, the 30-year-old collects firewood to sell. In the forest near her IDP camp, she became separated from her friends. At this point, she was raped by a man carrying a machete.
"I was terrified, thinking about my children," she said. "He pushed me into a hole in the ground and raped me. When he finished, he told me to leave and never come back. Said I was lucky he didn't kill me.
"After I returned to the camp, I didn't go out for several days. I wanted to throw myself into the lake, and the only reason I didn't, was because there was nobody to take care of the children.
"One day, I heard people from the Red Cross speak about the 'listening houses.' I was afraid to come close. Afraid of what neighbours might think. But I listened carefully from a distance and when they left, I came right here. They sent me to a clinic, and I found out that I am pregnant.
"There are so many questions pounding in my head: 'What will I do? How will I feed the children? What will my husband say if he comes back?'
"But at least I know that I am not alone, because there are so many other women in going through this. And it makes it easier somehow."
Brigitte's story
Brigitte, 36, found out she was pregnant after being raped while out collecting firewood.
"Five armed men dragged us into the forest. They kept us for five days and raped us while we were there. Then they finally let us go," she said.
"My husband is a police officer serving in a different town. He doesn't know what happened and I don't know how to tell him. When he comes back it will be the end.
"There are days when all I do is stay in bed and cry. I haven't prepared anything for the baby."
- Once exposed to sexual violence, victims and survivors in DRC face a wide range of consequences beyond the physical and mental scars. Victims and survivors also face invisible barriers including social rejection and economic exclusion. For example, more than 50% of all female victims and survivors report refusing to seek help or disclosing to family members. This figure is likely even higher for children and male victims and survivors. They may therefore become more vulnerable to resource scarcity and poverty over time, forcing them to eventually rely on harmful coping mechanisms such as survival sex, which may increase their vulnerability to many other forms of violence.
Sifa's story
Sifa, 16, was raped by armed men while collecting firewood near her village. Now speaking from an IDP camp in Goma, she recalled what happened.
"They told me: 'We will not touch your grandmother, or she will curse us.' Then they threw me to the ground and raped me one by one," she said.
"When we returned to the village, my grandmother kept telling me that I had to be strong. She also said that it was better if I didn't tell anyone what happened. That we should keep it our secret. The next month I didn't have my period.
"When the war came to Masisi we all fled here – my grandmother, my four little brothers and me. At the health centre, they told me I was five-months pregnant.
"I feel sad. But I also know that feeling sad will not change anything."
- Children in the DRC are particularly vulnerable. They face heightened risks of sexual violence when they become separated from their family members, which can easily occur during displacement. Boys and girls risk being recruited by armed groups where they will be exposed to violence, including sexual violence.
Odette's story
Odette, 69, and her youngest son have been living in a camp in Goma since October 2022.
She said: "At night, I went to the toilet with a flashlight. Two armed men stopped me on the way and demanded I gave them my phone. When I told them I don't have a phone, they dragged me far into the forest. They kept telling me that if I didn't walk fast enough, they would hit me with the handles of their weapons. I just followed their orders afraid they would kill me.
"Deep in the forest they beat me and raped me. Then I lost consciousness. In the morning, I managed to get up and return to the camp, barefoot and half naked, holding on to the trees. I was lucky it didn't rain that night.
"Now I am scared to go anywhere. In my mind I keep hearing their threats: 'We will kill you. We will kill you.' Sometimes I think – if I had the phone to give them, could all this have been avoided?"
Neema's story
Neema, 33, cannot remember how many armed men raped her while she was out collecting firewood.
"I was so badly injured that I couldn't walk to the village on my own. Neighbours got together and went to search for me in the forest," she said.
"After they brought me back, they told me I should go to the 'listening houses.' I am still weak, and I must take care of the children. With the money I received here, I managed to start selling beignets."
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), along with the local DRC Red Cross, supports 'listening houses' on the outskirts of Goma. Survivors receive medical assistance, as well as psychological and financial support.
- In 2022, the ICRC launched its multi-year, multi-country Prevention of Sexual Violence Program, which aims to reduce the risk of sexual violence and contribute to overall prevention efforts by tackling behavioural attitudes and practices that lead to perpetration as well as stigmatization of victims and survivors.
- The DRC was selected to be one of the first pilot contexts where, through existing engagement with weapon bearers, ICRC teams are introducing new methods to better understand, measure, and influence behaviours that contribute to compliance with international humanitarian law and the prevention of sexual violence.
- Our initial data from the DRC and elsewhere clearly illustrates how weapon bearers engaged in conflict may have a limited understanding of their specific role in preventing and responding to the harmful consequences of sexual violence.
- In 2023 alone, the International Committee of the Red Cross provided mental health and psychosocial support services for more than 3,233 victims and survivors of sexual violence in the DRC.
